Owned and operated by Chris Murray, Elevation Wheel Company has been a staunch supporter of COS Racing and the local cycling community for several years.
At least 80% of COS Racing team members ride on hand-built wheels by Elevation. Although Elevations’ specialty is custom wheel building, team members can rely upon them for exceptional service for any bike repair. Chris is known for unique fabrications and solutions using his 3D printer. And he’s a helluva photographer too!
Thank you Chris and Elevation for your continued support for COS Racing and the cycling community!
Twisted Spoke has been a longtime supporter of COS Racing. Our racers can attest to the effectiveness of their CBD products, especially with regards to nutrition and recovery. Their CBD + CBG chamois cream is the best in the business!
Twisted Spoke Apothecary was founded by Wen Dolphin and Gabe Kane – two friends with a passion for cycling and wellness. They combined this passion with their experience in the cannabis industry to fulfill their dream of becoming business owners. Their entrepreneurial spirit has not only enabled them to provide for themselves and their families, but to the Colorado Springs cycling community.
COS Racing is honored to be sponsored by Twisted Spoke. The sky is the limit for Wen and Gabe, and we look forward to seeing where their vision takes them.
COS Racing is proud to welcome Fitness Systems as a new sponsor for 2023. Jay and Barbi Huey are owners of Fitness Systems located at 5302 N. Nevada Ave in the University Village Shopping Center. They are avid cyclists who will race in Unbound Gravel, SBT GRVL, and The Rad Dirt Fest this year.
Fitness Systems has served Colorado Springs’ home and commercial fitness needs for over 40 years. They offer top brands like Precor, Matrix, Horizon, Spirit, Inspire, Wahoo, Schwinn, StairMaster and Body Solid. Do you want to stay race-ready in the off season?
Fitness Systems carries a large selection of home gyms, functional trainers, treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, bike trainers and free-weight equipment. The Wahoo KICKR Smart Bike is in stock! Their large showroom is set up for you to try and compare different equipment before you buy. They also offer delivery & set-up so you can get the equipment you choose professionally assembled where you want it in your home or business. COS Racing members get half off delivery and set-up! Later, if you need service or need your equipment moved, Fitness Systems is happy to provide that for you as well.
Thank you Jay and Barbi for sponsoring COS Racing and for providing for our fitness needs since 1980!
COS Racing will host its annual team membership and information night on 29 November 2022 at TrailsEnd Taproom in Colorado Springs. The event will include an overview of the team, sponsor presentations, and kit fitting.
WHO: Current and Prospective Members
WHERE: Trails End Taproom & Eatery, 2925 West Colorado Ave
PEACEFUL VALLEY SCOUT CAMP, CO – COS Racing partook in this year’s Mad Gravel race with at least 28 starts across three days of challenging racing.
On Day 1 of the epic three-day Mad Gravel event, COS Racing made a highly respectable showing in the circuit race with one first place, two seconds, and one third, as well as other top-10 finishes. The circuit race took place on a peaceful 7-mile circuit through the McNeil Scout Camp at Peaceful Valley near Elbert, CO. The route featured several long gravel climbs mixed with challenging single- and double-track segments. In particular, the circuit course featured a fast, sinuous gravel road descent and over two miles of blazingly fast non-technical singletrack.
COS Racing Sweeps Mens B Podium in the Circuit Race
Notable finishes occurred in the Men’s “B” Race (21mi), where COS Racing swept the podium, and the Women’s “C” race, in which Cindi Brothers took second overall. In the 3 lap Men’s “B” Race, Cameron Zamot took first, followed by Michael Brothers and Vlad Dragomirov. Zamot won despite dropping his chain on at least three occasions. Overall, COS Racing’s men took five of the top-7 places in the B Race.
Sunday’s Day 2 featured three distances on the gravel roads of windy Elbert County – 123mi (Ultra), 78mi (Marathon), and 42mi (Sprint). Starting and finishing at around 7000 feet above sea level at the scout camp, each course featured challenging sandy conditions, blazingly fast gravel descents, multiple long climbs in and out of the rural Bijou Basin, and a predictably challenging wind ripping across the prairie.
In the Marathon race, COS Racing took three top-3 podium positions within a field of 125 racers. Zamot continued his streak of victories with a first-place finish in the Mens 19-29 age group results and 13th overall. Andrew Chamberlin likewise took the top step in Mens 30-39 with a notable 19th place overall. Dave Neis rounded out to top-threes with a third place in the highly competitive Mens 40-49 category despite finishing 8th overall.
JB Lafon finishes 6th in Marathon race
In the day’s largest event, thirteen COS Racers took to the start line of the Sprint race, including four members of our women’s race team. LeeAnn Perea, Emily Reynolds, and Wendy Stalnaker finished 2nd , 3rd , and 4th respectively in the Womens 40-49 category, while Cindi Brothers continued her successful run of second places in Womens 50-59. All COS Racing women finished in the top-10 of a very competitive women’s field of over 35 racers.
The Men’s race showcased a field of approximately 100 male racers. COS Racing netted five top-3 age-group finishes, including first place in each of the men’s categories 30-39, 40-49, and 50-59. The day’s best performance came from veteran racer, Vlad Dragomirov, who seized second place in the general classification (GC) while winning the Mens 40-49 race. In Mens 30-39, debutante racer André Blyth won the Mens 30-39 category in his first race with COS Racing, finishing 16th overall, while Michael Brothers stood on the top step of the Mens 50-59 podium – only slightly behind Dragomirov with a solid 5th place GC finish. Not to be outdone, club racer Steve Johnson and veteran graveleur Tracy Sharples went 2nd and 3rd in Mens 60+. Additional Mens 50-59 racers included Ron Budhi (4th), George York (7th), J. Erik Hartel (8th), and Michael Elmer (10th). All nine COS Racing male race team members finished in the top 30 overall resulting in a commanding overall team performance in a field of 100 racers.
True to its name, the “Sprint” race started fast.
Three additional COS Racing-affiliated team members competed in this event. These included Seth Hurley (Criterium Bikes) who placed second in the Mens 29-29 category of the Ultra race, and club team members Kristine Johnson (DNA) and Kris Lemond (SoCo Velo) who won the Sprint 60+ category and took 3rd in Womens 50-59, respectively.
Still to come is today’s cross-country mountain bike race. COS Racing will be represented by at least Michael Brothers who is going for a hat-trick of podiums at this year’s event.
Mad Gravel is the creation of Rattler Racing. In only its second year, this event brought out almost 500 racers for three days of gravel and mountain biking challenges at the McNeil Scout Ranch. New to this year’s iteration was the circuit race and an XC MTB event to be held on Memorial Day.
The COS Racing Team meeting will take place on 13 December at 6PM at sponsor Trails End’s location in Old Colorado City.
This year’s meeting will be a forum to gather with fellow team members and prospective members, learn about new opportunities and plans for the upcoming race year, and try on this year’s kit from our new kit sponsor Pactimo.
It’s going to be another stellar race season in Colorado, so jump on board for some great experiences. If you are on the fence about bringing your riding and racing to the next level, attend this meeting to meet a great group of like-minded riders and learn about the riding, racing, and coached experiences you can have on this team.
COS Racing is a 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Nonprofit Organization. We are a bicycle racing team. Our purpose is to foster local, national, and international amateur cycling racer development and competitions. As a team, we help develop road, MTB, track, and gravel bicycle racers through clinics and training. We support racer participation in local, national, and international racing events. We also host our own race annually, the Thunderbird Road race, the state road racing championships for juniors, seniors, and master amateur racers. In addition, we co-support the Front Range Classic, a collegiate race sponsored by the Air Force Academy Cycling Team. Ancillary to our racing endeavors, we volunteer at cycling events and cycling-related activities in our region.
COLORADO SPRINGS – In this year’s Bicycle Racing Association of Colorado (BRAC) Colorado Road Team Cup, COS Racing achieved some excellent team results – placing 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 9th at the state level in various categories.
At the top of the pyramid, COS Racing took second place in the state in Masters Men’s Category 4 (40+), just behind Primal – Audi Denver and ahead of nine other teams. Consistent top-3 finishes by Aaron Sudduth and Andrew McAdoo contributed enormously to these results. Sudduth notably took three wins plus an additional three top-five finishes; McAdoo won the Fountain Omnium, while racers Ray Decker, Brian McCall, and Tony Nelson contributed to these results.
COS Racing took third place in Masters Men’s Category 4 (50+) out of eleven teams in what appeared to be one of Colorado’s hardest-fought competitions. Four COS Racing Masters racers – Ron Budhi, Michael Elmer, Erik Hartel, and George York – took to the start line over 64 times during the season, amassing three race wins, one sweep of the podium at the Fountain Festival, and a further twelve top-five finishes. Consistency was also the key, with racers in this category placing in the top-10 47-times. COS Racing was narrowly beaten out for the top prize by two strong Denver-based teams – RacerX Racing and Palomares.
In the final two categories, Men’s Category 3 and Masters Men’s 60+, COS Racing placed 6th and 9th, respectively, with solid performances from Matt Bell, Vladimir Dragomirov, and Tracy Sharples.
08 May 2021. TRINIDAD, CO – Johanna Neuber and Vladislav Dragomirov won the women and men’s categories at today’s Pony Xpress 85 (PX85) gravel race in Trinidad, CO. Pony Xpress is part of the Colorado Gravel Grinder Championships. This year’s event featured over 230 riders competing on 85K and 160K courses through the Sangre de Christo Mountains with epic altitude gains of 3,500ft and 8,400ft.
There was an impressive sea of blue-and-orange jerseys at the start, standing out boldly in a field of approximately 110 gravel riders for the 85K race.
Beyond Johanna and Vlad’s superb results, the team also swept the remainder of the men’s podium, with Michael Brothers and Jeffrey Turner taking 2nd & 3rd overall. In age group results, COS Racing swept the podiums of the Men’s 50+ and Men’s 60+ to 4th position. Jeffrey Turner, Ron Budhi, George Pollard York, and J Erik Hartel took 1st through 4th in 50+, while Tracy Sharples, Jean-Baptiste Lafon, Kevin Healy, and Mike West took the top positions in 60+. Similarly, Johanna Neuber, LeeAnn Perea, and Cindi Brothers took top results in their age groups – Women’s 20-29, 30-39, and 40-49.
Other notable mentions included Andrew McAdoo, who completed the 160K route plus some bonus miles, and Benton Beltramo, Derek Bondy, and Aaron Sudduth, who each took 4th place in Men’s 20-29, 30-39, and 40-49, respectively.
Finally, for a few others teammates, this was their first race of the year. This includes Benton Beltramo, Chris Ferguson, David McDaniel, Curtis Potter, and others.
KIOWA, CO — It was a great day of racing for COS Racing at the Encierro Velo 100K Gravel Race, particularly in the Masters’ field. Six COS Racing riders took to the start today on a grueling 60-mile course that featured several long climbs and dozens of shorter ones. The top COS Racing performance came from Vladislav Dragomirov – who finished just off the podium in 4th place overall and 1st in the Men’s 30-39 category. Several of our Master’s racers also took podium positions. J Erik Hartel came in 14th overall and third in Masters Men (MM) 50+ while Mike West, Kevin Healy, and Michael Jones took first, second, and fifth in MM 60+.
As one might have predicted, this field was disproportionately stacked with professional gravel and road racers from throughout the region – most notably, team-friend Jonathan Cavner (Rodeo Labs) and former team member and neo-pro Henry York (Rio Grande) – all eager to race hard after a long COVID-enforced racing drought. At mile 5, on a section of road that featured strong crosswinds, Rodeo Labs launched a strong attack that shattered the field. Only Dragomirov was able to match the intensity – for a while, at least. Not atypical of gravel racing, the rest of the COS Racing contingent was left to race solo or in small groups soldiering through deep sand and over washboard conditions. Dragomirov described his race experience as a 54-mile individual time trial after losing contact with the lead trio. Most of our other riders shared his experience.
The race concluded with a Paris-Roubaix-style lap of the interior of the rodeo arena – a grueling slog through soft sand that had many riders dismounting to run their bikes across the line. The race was ultimately won by Nick Gould (Rodeo Labs).
This race was the first cycling event in the region since the lifting of some COVID-19 restrictions. Race organizer Phil Schweizer maintained solid control over the environment, enforced standards of social distancing and face-coverings in the start and finish areas, and had ample quantities of hand-sanitizer and other supplies on hand. Gravel racing is uniquely well-suited to social distancing since fields tend to splinter into small socially-distanced groups and individuals rather quickly. In this race, Rodeo Labs’ early attack set the conditions for a very dispersed race.
Additional solid performances came from David Johnson and George Pollard York, who placed 20th and 26th overall respectively.
COLORADO SPRINGS – On October 20th, COS Racing will hold its annual membership meeting at sponsor Pink Realty‘s new location in Colorado Springs.
This will be an informational meeting for prospective riders and returning members, as well as an opportunity to meet team members and learn about programs being offered to support racers and bike racing in our region. COS Racing has spots available for interested male and female riders on its Road, Mountain Bike, Gravel, Cyclocross, and Track squads.
WHO: All current and interested riders/racers
WHAT: COS Racing Membership/Information Meeting
WHERE: Pink Realty – 4783 Farmingdale Dr Colorado Springs, CO 80918
WHEN: October 20, 2019, 6PM -8PM
WHY: Renew team members; recruit new members; learn about new programs; try on new Primal kits for sizing; party; socialize; eat and drink.
Among these topics, the team will unveil its new tiered race team system and kit and discuss its new sponsors, team benefits/discounts, race-reimbursement program, and travel reimbursement programs.
COS Racing is Colorado Springs’ largest racing team with more than 80 members. COS Racing racers had more than 125 top-3 podium-finishes this year in national, regional, and local races.
